Archive for February, 2007

We have heard about elections and see it as a period for the electorate to cast their votes for the candidates of their choice for different political offices. Most elections take place or are held every four years. The electorate are expected during this period to perform their civic duty by voting; the electorate are people in a country or an area who have the right to vote. But now, the right to vote people into political positions has shifted from the electorate to the people I chose to call the “selectorate”.

Many of us have at one time or the other watched the Grammy awards, Kora awards, Oscar awards, MTV awards and other award ceremonies with all their razzmatazz. Whenever it was time to handover the awards to the winners, we usually get the feeling that the judges and nominators were biased in their selection process. We usually had some people in mind we believed would have won but who were not even nominated. The same is true of other award ceremonies. I have witnessed some occasions where the audience shouted and protested the decisions of the judges because their criteria and sense of judgment were doubtful and questionable. But inspite of the noise from the audience, the awards still went the way of the people the judges considered winners. It is obvious then that awards may not go the way of the people qualified or who merited them.

The Nigerian situation during elections had become selections. The vote of the electorate does not seem to count any more. Certain people in certain quarters determine who is declared the winners of the (s)election process even before the votes are cast. Like it is seen during the aforementioned award ceremonies, many who emerge as the eventual winners do not in any way reflect the mind of the electorate. But who are the electorate to question the limitless or unreserved prowess of the folks I chose to call the “selectorate”? The drama we have been watching in Nigeria since the 2003 elections made the electorate to boycott the voters’ registration until the government attached some conditions to the exercise. Many registered not because they wanted to register to be able to vote but for fear of losing their salaries or not being allowed to do their personal business or procure anything from the government.

The primaries of the different political parties have come and gone. But many are still in court challenging the process that produced the candidates representing their parties for different positions. Some who did not want to go to the court cross-carpeted to other parties. Those who crossed over to the opposition parties have all come under attack from their former parties. The federal executive and some state executives are still trading words over allegations of disloyalty and anti-party activities. Many are of the opinion that INEC and EFCC are the tools that can be used to settle the scores or be used to make the opposition settle for the “anointed or selected” ones and endorse them. Many are questioning the independence of these two commissions when they are like acting out the script written by the incumbent.

Many who are now in the opposition parties, were part of the rigging and selection process of the 2003 polls. Some of the traits they got from the Peoples Dehumanised Party was also manifested in their new parties primaries. The question now is whether they will allow themselves to rigged out or be part of the rigging. From what we saw at the different primary selections of the different political parties, it means it may translate to general selection in April polls. The machinery that produced the selected or anointed candidates may also be put in place to produce the winners of the April polls. The problem may be how and who will be selected for the positions. We may not have seen the end of the menace of the political godfathers; the selectorate.

There has been a power shift and we may witness another level of power shift in April polls. The power shifted from the electorate to the incumbent in 2003 and we had second term for the incumbent and few changes by the godfathers. This time many of the incumbent are in the bad books of the anti-corruption agency and the power will shift from them to the selectorate as witnessed in the primaries. I advice the judiciary to prepare and roll up their sleeves for work ahead. It is apparent that many of the results will be decided by the court and tribunals. Many allegations and counter allegations of rigging are already on the lips of many aspirants before the polls. What will happen during and after the polls?

My question has been, “WILL THESE PRIMARY SELECTIONS NOT TRANSLATE TO GENERAL SELECTIONS IN APRIL? If the selection process is also shifted to the April polls, it should then be called secondary selection. And it is very dicey that it will not be so. But let’s wait and see who carries the day. It will either be the incumbent, the ‘selectorate’ or the electorate. How I wish the electorate will carry the day.

At one time or the other, you must have come across buildings or structures on fire. There may have been a fire outbreak in your neighbourhood, office or school hostel. The only thing that comes to everyone’s mind at that point in time is to alert or call the fire fighters. In some offices or residential buildings, certain devices are fitted to alert the fire fighters and everyone around of an outbreak of fire. At theemergence of the fire fighter, everybody’s mind is almost settled that the fire will be put out. So the job of the fire fighters is to put out fires. We also know that a lighter is a small device constructed in different ways that produces a flame for lighting fire. But I want us to view both fire fighting and lighting from a different perspective looking at the topic of this piece.

When it is said that some people are on fire, it does not necessarily mean someone set them ablaze. It means they are zealous or very passionate about a particular cause. They are seen to approach achieving that feat with everything they have got. They put all their energy and resources into it. Many folks like seeing and having things the very way they met them; they detest change or new innovations. These sets of people also don’t want to break record again or see people surpass their own record. To this effect therefore they try to put the machineries in place to hinder or stop anyone who wants to bring about change or surpass their old record. They also use all resources and means available to discourage the upcoming generation and make them not see reasons to forge ahead. I call these folks, the fire fighters.

The fire fighters use all they have got to put out fire when a building, car or equipment is set ablaze. The same way they carry out their job with all vigour and sense of responsibility, these folks I refer to as the fire fighters also quench every fire in the life of a world changer or innovator. If you look around our environment today, you will see these fire fighters in every sphere of life. The ones in politics will never want to see any young one try to aspire for any political office that they still consider themselves relevant to occupy. They try all kinds of machinations to stop or discourage the young folks even when they have lost relevance and credibility. They often tell the young ones to wait for their time. Inspite of the fact that they are devoid and bereft of new ideas that will change the polity, they don’t want to relinquish their positions in politics. Most of them resort to assassinations, thuggery and rigging of elections to perpetuate their dominance.

We have often heard about the death of some young people in their quest to bring about change. Many always think they were eliminated by their contemporaries, but they were killed by the fire fighters. The presence of these young folks had become a threat to their perceived dominance and they felt the alternative was having them out of the way. Many things that would have benefited mankind have been hindered or stopped half way because of the fire fighters that detest change or emergence of new blood. The fire fighters detest the injection of new blood into the polity; they like it when all remain stagnant and traditional. Most of them are of the opinion that it is their statutory right to remain on the scene even when they have lost relevance.

In my country, Nigeria, fire fighters are on rampage from the east to the west. They are in different circles. The religious circles are not left out. They believe the younger generations have not learnt enough when actually they are the ones that need to reinvent themselves to face the challenges of the computer age. No house is higher than the rooftop. So we cannot grow beyond the leadership. The fire fighters are at the top and are bereft of ideas. The sectors of the economy that have received growth were the ones spear headed by the younger generation and the whole confusion in the polity are caused by the fire fighters who want to perpetuate their stay and folly.

It is time for the emergence of fire lighters. May be you have been part of the cabal that have been fighting the political, economic, social and spiritual revival of the polity. It is time to have a rethink. You are not a success without a successor. Give room for successors with new and better ideas that will better our lot. Sit down and evaluate you actions and activities and see if you have been working indirectly against the emergence of the new and young generation. You need to be a source of strength and encouragement to anyone in your field. Instead of fighting, try and see where you will complement their effort. You need to light up those without fire or zeal to push forward. You should not remove the woods that are making the fire burn, instead fan or put some fuel to make it burn well. Instead of resisting change, it is time to reinvent yourself and embrace new ideas. There is a better way to do what you are doing right now and excellently too. If you don’t know how, allow the folks who know and who can do it excellently instead of fighting to perpetuate your ignorance and folly. Look out for better ways to improve and don’t fight those with innovative ideas or you will become a fire fighter. Embrace change. Light a fire in another life today.

I have always understood the basic to mean, of the simplest kind or at the simplest level. Some others say it is that forming the part of something that is most necessary and from which other things develop. But from whichever point you see it, the basic is the lowest or the most common from all expectations. When we look around the world today, what some describe as basic in some parts of the world is described or perceived as extra luxury in the other parts. But most of the time the perception that the basics are extra luxury came from dehumanizing environments obtainable in those parts of the world.

I have read and heard many people say that man’s basic needs are food, shelter and clothing; everybody seems to believe that it is so. But one thing that many didn’t agree on is the fact that government has some basic responsibilities to fulfill in different parts of the world. This is so because of private sector participation in some nations. The private sector is helping the government perform its basic responsibilities and so the gap is not noticeable in those nations. But over here, the government does not seem to know its basic responsibilities, not to talk of living up to them. Most cases of indiscipline and breakdown of law and order were as a result of government not living up to its basic responsibilities.

The government over here are shying away from their basic responsibilities but expect the citizens to do their civic duties and not see the outcome or product of tax they pay. There are good roads only to places where they have interest that investors might look at and some of the roads lead to nowhere. There are no good and accessible roads elsewhere. There is no stable electricity. Pipe born water is a luxury to most citizens. Public hospitals and health centers are moribund. Public schools are in dilapidated conditions and some areas don’t even have any public school to boast about. So it is very obvious that the basics here are seen and are indeed luxurious stuff.

Over here, many people are preparing for elective positions and are campaigning for support. Some of the ones in the positions are very busy advertising their achievements and asking the people to see reasons for reelection. What are their achievements? Have you taken a look at what they called their achievements? If you’ve not, I have taken a look at them. I was surprised at what many of the politicians were postulating as achievements. Some are not ashamed to tell the public that their regime didn’t owe teachers and workers salaries. Is that an outstanding achievement or a basic obligation? I don’t want to mention other ones but I want you to sit back and evaluate what the politicians called achievements and know whether they are basic obligations or outstanding achievements. Let us not help them celebrate mediocrity and the abuse of positions they occupy.

The situation is not different with those in religious circles. You may have come across many billboards, handbills, posters, newspaper adverts, radio and television programmes celebrating the basic as outstanding feats. Having heard many clergymen and women, I want you to take a look at what they call their achievements. Many of them don’t seem to know what their basic responsibilities are. So they celebrate their basic as outstanding feats. When purpose or the basic is not known, abuse is inevitable. The signs that will follow them that believe God are now seen as outstanding achievements and celebrated. When you hear what many of them share as testimony of achievements, you will ask them to hide their faces in shame. They only preach and think that mediocrity is poverty personified. But what they are celebrating is mediocrity; the basics. Knowledge starts from knowing the basics because what you know determines how you think.

It is time for us to evaluate what we perceive or call achievements and know whether they are the basics. Government should not waste taxpayers money advertising and fanning themselves for doing the basic things. The clergy on their part should really evaluate what they perceive as their achievements and know trully whether they are celebrating mediocrity or outstanding feats. The basic can only be done in an outstanding manner but the basic cannot become the outstanding when it is regarded as one.

Many things mean many and different things to people in different places. Meanings of things or words are understood or interpreted by people based on their background orientation or environment. When people say call a spade a spade, it means that some people can see a spade and call it something else. Just like the proverbial way nine blind men saw and described an elephant based on their feelings and how they touched it, many are calling many people their heroes based on how they see or perceived them by their own standard based on their orientation.

I do believe that the word ‘hero’ or ‘heroine’ has been misinterpreted, perceived wrongly and misunderstood by many in this part of the world. A hero is a person especially a man who is admired by many people for doing something brave and worthwhile. It is the order of the day in this part of the world for people to celebrate and reward as heroes people of questionable character. This calls for complete redefinition of our moral values and evaluation of our value system.

Royal fathers and the traditional institutions helped erode our values. Before now, many people trust the traditional institutions as being the best because of the moral values they uphold. But with time, people of questionable characters started heading those traditional institutions. With the emergence of people of questionable and dubious characters as royal fathers and heads of traditional institutions, things turned for the worst. Before now, the dignity of labour was very much upholded. But right now, you can bag a title award or even a degree in higher institutions if you have the money. People were given chieftaincy titles or awards based on their impact or contribution to their communities’ development before now. But with the emergence of people with questionable characters as royal fathers, fraudsters and people who loot the state or national treasury are held in high esteem more than people who do genuine businesses and uphold the dignity of labour. The government of the day did not help matters either. The national awards have at the one time or the other been given to people who have looted the treasury; people who have at one time or the other have been indicted for gross in appropriation of public funds. Are these people of questionable character, who lack integrity the ones you can call heroes? Certainly they are not.

The generation that is seeing all these happen in their time will have nothing to offer the next generation than what they are used to. You can teach people what you know, but you can only produce who you are. Some names ring like bells to anyone that hears them because of their heroic feats. People associate their names with their achievements and their fields of endeavour become synonymous with their names. When we hear names like John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, Mrs. Ransome Kuti, Wole Soyinka and the likes, our minds go straight to their heroic feats. Heroes are brave fighters for equity, justice and fair play. They are people minded and most times fight through their cause at the expense of their comfort and even their lives.

There is no victory without a fight, as there are no heroes without brave and bold causes in the face of opposition. What we have around are people claiming to be heroes and victors without winning or charting a single noble and brave cause in their various communities or nations. Heroes leave principles behind so that the coming generations can work with them and even improve on them. But the people many call heroes in this part of the world are rather cowards and insecure people who think leaving principles behind will produce people who will erase their records.

At this point I will ask, who is your hero or heroine? It is time for redefinition and revaluation of our value system. People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care for them and the brave causes you attempt on their behalf. If you want to be called a hero, that word is for you. As for you who just call anyone you see a hero, you need to sit down and look at the personality you described as a hero and see if he or she has left a good legacy behind. Will the coming generation give praise to God for their lives and legacies when their names are mentioned in the next twenty years or will they curse them even in their graves for destroying and looting the resources that would have bettered their lot?

Look at that personality again and again and know if you can still refer to him or her as a hero or heroine. Look beyond the facades!

Many people are of the opinion or school of thought that the opposite of right is wrong. It is therefore believed that the greatest enemy of right is wrong. But I want to use this piece to let you know that good is the greatest enemy of right.

Many of us are of age, and know the difference between wrong and right things. And it is believed generally that people fail because they did or were doing the very wrong things in their field of endeavour. I want to let you know that many people fail not because they were doing the wrong things. They were doing good things but not the right things. Many are doing good things but have failed to achieve the desired results or objectives.

Many who want to aportion blame to them have often been disappointed when they found out that they were not doing the wrong things after all. They become confused as to what should have been the reason for failure to achieve the desired feat.

Many may ask,”How can good be the greatest enemy of right?” I want to begin to answer by saying that, NOT EVERY GOOD IDEA IS GOD’S IDEA.So you can be busy doing or working on some good ideas which are not God’s ideas. Anything that is not God’s idea for you might not yield tangible fruits or results and might bring about struggling in your life. When God is not part of your plans or programmes, defeat or failure is obvious. Your life has been designed to function or work a particular way. So if you try to work it out a different way, you may not succeed after all doing the good works.

In our society today, many political, economical and religious leaders have failed to achieve desired objectives because they were doing good things but not the right things. They have focus, but their focus is not on the right stuff. They can then be said to be doing good things by embarking on different projects but not the right things in the right places. They are adjudged as having failed the hopes and aspirations of the people inspite of the good things they have done. You can only achieve tangible results doing the right things, the right time, and in the right places for the right people.

Have you failed doing good things? It is time for evaluation. It is time to check the good things you are doing that are not the right things. Only the right things can bring about the right results. You are being paid your salary because you are doing what your employer had employed you to do. You cannot as a company secretary expect the management of your company to pay you when all you were doing in the office was mopping the floor or serving the whole staff coffee. Doing those stuff are good but not the right thing for you as a secretary. You cannot be employed to man the office computer and you find yourself opening and closing the entrance gate like the securityman and expect kudos from the management even though you are doing a good work.

I don’t feel you have failed before because you were doing the wrong things. It may be because you were doing some good stuff that were not the right stuff. May be you were rendering service to the wrong folks or in the wrong places. It is time to evaluate what you are doing and know whether it is the right thing for you this time and where you are doing it.

Remain blessed as you make up your mind right now and do this evaluation,because GOOD IS NOT ALWAYS RIGHT!!

When the terrorists hit the WorldTradeCenter and other targets during the September 11th attacks in America a few years back, the first set of people that responded promptly were the fire fighters. All over the world, there are emergency agencies and the fire brigade form part of these. With the spate of plane crashes, collapse of buildings and pipeline fire outbreaks, we saw the state of unprepared ness and non-existence of emergency organizations in our nation.

In our nation, it is apparent that many agencies exist only on paper. Sometimes I wonder where the allocations for these non-existent agencies are kept or who is really in charge. It is evident therefore that if such agencies still exits, the allocations are collected by ghost workers and pseudo directors with non-existent officer addresses. We have applauded the government in their reform programmes that left some sectors reformed and some deformed. Their privatization programme has also received knocks and kudos in some quarters. Talking about the welfare of our law enforcement agents, The Nigeria Police Force, will be over flogging or over emphasizing what is obvious which even the blind can see.

I was in a public transport recently during the yuletide and almost everybody was complaining about one thing or the other. One man suddenly spoke out after a long silence. He said everybody is blaming the fire brigade around the country for late response or not responding at all to distress calls from victims of fire disaster. He said that he is part of that agency and people have not bothered to ask the various government agencies and politicians why they neglected the fire brigade the very way the welfare of the police force is relegated to the background. Everybody now turned to look at him and many agreed with him that he was right. I was not really looking at the whole stuff from the man’s narration of the plight of the men and women of the fire service. I was checking the lives that would have been saved if government had taken responsibility seriously as they claim.

Before writing this piece, I took some time to visit some fire service stations around town. It is shocking to see that some do not even have functional office, phone lines or service vehicles. The places I saw fire-fighting vehicles, they are without tyres not to talk of water. Most of them are standing on blocks. One of the stations had a vehicle with worn out tyres. Looking at the men and women at those stations will give you the impression that life has been snuffed out of the organization completely. I wonder what has become of the families of the people I saw those places. I saw some social miscreants playing in one of the stations I visited.

I have watched keenly as politicians reel out their achievements and why we must vote them back in. But I have seen none talk about his achievement in fire fighting. Some are saying they will declare energy and power emergency and stuff like that. But none has mentioned the welfare of the Police or the fire brigade. Most times when there is collapse of buildings or fire outbreak, you only see private companies come to help with their equipments. Does it mean that government cannot afford those equipments? Somebody should put on his thinking cap right now.

During the yuletide, many houses were razed down by fire and there was no fire fighters insight. On the Boxing Day, the Abule-egba pipeline fire went on without help in sight for hours. Many lives were lost and properties destroyed. That fire would have been checkmated if we have an effective fire fighting service in place. I am trying to use this piece to draw our attention to the deplorable state of the fire fighting system around town. Let us declare it as an emergency area also. We should not wait until more lives and properties are lost before we will do something about that organization.

Nigerians have been known for their fire brigade approach to things. But now their fire brigade is down. I don’t know which approach they will soon adopt. But it is time to look and address the issue of fire fighting as an emergency. Our fire fighting service is now moribund. Let us resuscitate the fire brigade so that lives and properties will not be lost unnecessarily. It is time to check whether some people are collecting the allocation meant for the fire fighting service or there was no allocation for it at all. The continued neglect of that institution is a continued neglect of the citizenry.

Let us remind the government of the day of their responsibility about protection of lives and properties. Let us ask those aspiring for different elective positions to address the continued neglect of the fire service. Instead of sharing rice and other stuff as part of their campaign strategy, they should use same to put in place fire fighting equipments. The telecommunication sector was thrown open and we are better for it. If the government of the day cannot improve the fire fighting area, they can as well call in the private sector participation. But it is not time to shy away from responsibility of protection of lives and properties vis-à-vis the fire service as an institution.

Many of us have seen and been around this planet for
many years now. Many of these years were considered as
good years, some were seen as bad years,some years
were fairly good and others were not bad, not good
enough and cannot be said to be fairly good all the
same. Many of us have attributed it to many things as
being the reasons the years were good, bad or fairly
good. Mainly a large number of people heap their
blames on changes in the economic policies or
fluctuation of the World economy.

Many others believe that inspite of the state of the
economy or change in the policies,that their drive,
determination and hardwork saw them through. Many of
us had evaluated our work rate and achievements over
the years and made certain resolutions. Very many
people make resolutions towards the end of a fiscal
year or at the beginning of the year. But when you
conduct a survey, you will discover that seventy or
seventy-five percent of the people who made those
resolutions could not take it to the second or third
months or weeks after making them.

Resolutions were supposed to spark off revolutions.
But the contrary is true in many of us. I have often
wondered why many go back to where they are coming
from after a while. Many act as if they were cajoled
of forced into making the resolutions and
premeditated. I thought through this for a while and
realised that it was like pouring new wine into an old
wine-skin. New wine should be poured into new
wine-skin to contain or preserve it.

Many have tried change from the outside.But real
change starts from within. Man can be walking around
but bound or in captivity on the inside. Many have
taken many resolutions, adjusted some external factors
but never adjusted the inside. You’re a product of
your thoughts. In the accomplishment of a desire, the
Will power plays a large part. Your thought pattern
drives you. With a strong will power, thought messages
can be projected and dispatched to their destination,
no matter how far distant. If the will is weak and the
distance long, the message may not reach where it is
intended. Many make resolutions but have weak will
power to push through. A powerful will gives to the
person the ability to throw great energy into a given
thought and keep it there until the objective is
attained.

There is no new year without a new ‘you’. You cannot
continue doing the same things and expect different
results. Many had expected changes with the same old
thought patterns. But the changes never came. They
blamed them on some things or happenstance. The actual
problem was not those things but the ‘you’ that never
changed from business as usual. The resolutions did
not spark off revolutions because the inside was not
positioned right. Out of position is out of
possession. Your mind was out of position and never
possessed the right information needed for the desired
change to take place.

We are slaves or masters as a result of our ignorance
or our choice. Your decisions and choices got you or
kept you where you are right now. It is one thing to
make a decision or choice and it is another to push
through;through a strong will to actualise or realise
our dreams or desires. Check the areas where your
ignorance had made you a slave and work on them. It
might entail you reading some books related to those
areas. It might also demand you taking up some lessons
or seeing a counsellor for direction.

Your words, decisions, choices, and actions determine
how your future will look like this year. Change from
talking, confessing or promoting mediocrity with your
lifestyle. Make tangible decisions on your habits. You
may have to watch your diet.You may have to give up on
some stuff. You may have to cut your attention or time
you gave to some things. You may have to create more
time for your family. You may have to create more time
to work on your gifts and talents. You may have to add
passion to your job. You may have to eat less of junk
food. You may have to devote more time to
prayers,meditation and devotions each day or week. You
may have to evaluate your priorities again. It might
just be time to swing into actions where you’ve been
procrastinating. It might be just time to work on your
anger or impatience.

Beloved, a new ‘you’ must emerge if you’re expecting
new things to happen in your life, family and work
this year. The old ‘you’ must die and give way for the
emergence of the new ‘you’. Some relationships must be
cut. Some places need to be avoided. Some behaviours
need to be dropped. And some healthy habits need to be
formed. Some books need to be read and some courses
need to be taken. Your priorities need to be evaluated
once again. Remain blessed as you push out the new
‘you’ that will produce the new and prosperous year
you desire.

THE PHILOSOPHY OF NOTHING

The word ‘nothing’ is a combination of two words, ‘no’ and ‘thing’. No is a word used to express the opposite of what is mentioned; an answer that shows you do not agree with an idea or a statement. It can also mean not one; not any. Together with the word ‘thing’ to form nothing, it means not anything, no single thing; something that is not at all important or interesting with no reward or result. It can also mean a situation where no single thing exists; the state of not existing.

A Latin adage says, “Ex nihilo, nihil fit” meaning “out of nothing, nothing comes” It is therefore believed that nothing comes from nothing. So no one expects to get or achieve a result from anything or anyone that is described or referred to as nothing. It invariably means that expecting something from nothing could be considered by many as being a waste of time and resources. It can be likened to expecting a rock or stone to speak or call your name.

When you hear that there is ability in every disability, it doesn’t only mean that the letters that formed the word ability are also contained in the word disability. It goes beyond that. It means that no matter how deformed or disabled anyone can be, within that person lies some ability to achieve some feat or perform some acts in that state. From this point of view we need to look at the word nothing critically and see if there can be something from every nothing.

Declaring or describing anything as nothing depends on many factors; Experience, sense of judgment, educational background and our orientation about life and things. Many have been jailed, some are in court right now for doing things they described as nothing. Many couples are divorced today for things seen as nothing. Many things once described as nothing have become something in our world today.Anyone who is not into mineral exploration might see gold in its raw form and describe it as nothing. It takes the expertise of someone else to describe the raw gold as something. The same is true of many areas of life.

It is therefore true that my definition of nothing is dependent on my experience, sense of judgment, educational background and my orientation about life and things. Time has proven that many things the old scientists described as nothing or worthless have become something. It means they described those things as nothing based on their limited knowledge, experience and sense of judgment. You can also describe something as nothing when it is not in your field of endeavour. And when somebody who it falls within the scope of his field appears, your eyes will open to see the something in the nothing and your perception will change about that thing.

Anyone can just look at you and after evaluation; conclude that nothing good can come out of you. But that is just his or her opinion about you. Someone else can just meet you and see untapped potentials all over you. The truth is that you may not be good enough for everything, but you are good enough for something. It also takes discerning minds to see beyond the outward appearance of things. Many judge from the surface and can conclude to see nothing. Their judgment therefore does not say all there are to things.

It is said that when purpose is not known, abuse is inevitable. It is therefore true that when people don’t know the purpose of something, they can describe it as nothing, treat it as nothing and get nothing from it. We have described many things as nothing because we could not define it, don’t know the purpose and didn’t use it to achieve any feat. But the truth is that everything exists for a purpose and it is only when we don’t know the purpose that we describe it as nothing. It is therefore true that in every ‘nothing’, there is something worthwhile within or which it can be used for or to achieve.

Nothing is not just nothing. It is nothing because purpose is not known. It is nothing because we have not looked beyond the surface to unveil the something in the nothing. It is nothing because we have no knowledge or limited knowledge about what it was meant for, can be used for or the qualities it has internally. Gold is nothing to an ignorant scavenger or an ordinary man on the street in its raw form. So can something mean nothing to anyone who lacks the knowledge of the purpose, value and meaning of anything.